Brussels sent two letters to London on Monday. First, an official statement was sent that the European Union is now beginning to conduct a violation of the rules for the free movement of goods, which could eventually lead to a fine on Britain.
The Brexit leader in the European Commission, Vice President Maros Sefcovic, also sent a letter to his British counterpart, David Frost, urging the British government to “correct and refrain” from acting unilaterally and instead enter into talks with the European Union.
Battle for Northern Ireland’s transitional bases
The dispute over transition periods revolves around when and how different goods will be screened to meet terms related to trade with Northern Ireland that the two parties agreed to in negotiations on Brexit. Under the agreement, EU customs rules will apply to Northern Ireland in order to avoid a hard border in Ireland, which in practice means a customs border between ports in Northern Ireland and the rest of the British Isles.
Earlier this month, the British government unilaterally extended the transition period for controlling food imports into Northern Ireland until October 1 this year, Reuters reports. The transition period is in effect from the beginning until the end of March.
For its part, Britain claims that it has not violated the Brexit agreement.
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